Review: Two Gielen Rarities Revisited

During his tenure in Cincinnati, Michael Gielen made some recordings for Vox Records--excellent performances in excellent sound. On this twofer, we have a really exciting Beethoven "Eroica" Symphony and a splendid Busoni disc containing his Turandot Suite and Two Studies for "Doktor Faust." If you haven't heard them, you really should. They woke up many listeners outside of Germany to Gielen's qualities as an interpreter, and they have held up extremely well over the years.
Musical Example courtesy of Vox/Naxos Records

[stevenbugala]

I stumbled upon that Eroica Symphony in one of those Vox cardboard sleeve editions at a used cd shop for $1, and took a chance on it a couple years ago. It was like a big winner on a cheap lotto scratcher. Fantastic!

[hhk]

Great vid! I was in Cinci back then, in grad school at CCM. Went to the concerts, had an especially memorable Mahler 6 with him. Sang chorus in some modern piece with Gielen, and a couple of years before that was in the chorus of his Mahler 8 in Vienna.
The Eroica has been a favorite of mine since it came out.

[OuterGalaxyLounge]

A very important recording for me, bought back in the mists of time (circa 1984) while I was on spring break during college while staying with my buddy's family in their lovely house in Boulder, Colorado. This was around the time of the famous "where's the beef?" Mondale/Hart debate. I remember I was playing Szell's Wagner Ring highlights album a lot in the rental car as I tooled around the vistas of Rocky Mountain National Park. My colleagues and I dined in nearby Louisville, Colorado (I'm from Louisville, Ky., coincidentally) and there found a neat little record store with a huge classical department and bought the original LP of this Eroica. I later ended up with two copies of the original issued single CD, not the Vox Box one you're showing. It wasn't until I discovered the Scherchen performance later that I encountered a faster tempo than Gielen. Of course, I loved the Gielen for all the same reasons as you and everyone else have stated.

[murraylow]

Oh goodness thanks. Busoni is one of the most underrated composers until he gets overrated- there’s still some equilibial process going on there! But that Sarabande and Cortège, well you can’t be left in much doubt about the quality. I know it’s an early work, but who couldn’t enjoy the finale of the violin concerto? One of those things everyone should hear :-) it totally lifts the spirits

[arneheinemann]

Round about 30 years ago, I read in fonoforum (the german classic magazine) about Gielen’s Eroica. The magazine was from 1980. The recording was highly recommended. I was very lucky to found it on cd. Since then it is one of my favourite recordings of this symphony. Greetings from Northern Germany

[Wolfcrag]

I sincerely hope Naxos starts boxing up some of the Vox catalogue. Just in Cincinnati, they recorded Gielen, Schippers and Susskind with a bunch of noteworthy soloists. In the so-called lighter repertoire, Vox had Erich Kunzel. Then there were Slatkin, Semkow and again Susskind in Saint Louis, Zinman in Rochester, Abravanel in Utah and Skrowaczewski in Minnesota.

[paulharmon]

Years ago I bought this wonderful vinyl for $1! Living so close to Cincinnati I regret never hearing him conduct live.

[richardwilliams]

I will never forget a recording by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra conducted by Hermann Scherchen of Mahler's 5th Symphony where the very ending timpani stroke at the end of the 2nd movement was played Triple Forte rather than the original composer s intention of Double piannisomo. It literally scared the Hell out of me . My needle on the vinyl record actually jumped up !!!

[johnmontanari]

FYI: The whole thing is available for streaming and download. And sounds great. The percussion in the Busoni really rock!

[haroldtucker]

Previous to this there was an Eroica with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra on audio fidelity that named Gielen as the conductor. He denied that it was his.

[dmntuba]

Wish you would do a video on history of Vox

[HYPRKNECT]

Pensé que lo había escuchado todo, en Mahler. Y me encuentro otra joya.

[lewtaratua]

I think there were a couple of Thomas Schippers / Cincinnati sets on VOXBOX. Did you have a chance to do Schippers? I remember his music was relaxed and unhurried type.

[bloodgrss]

David, this is another off-topic suggestion, but I am asked sometimes by younger folk I interact with about classical music and such; what I cannot answer or enthuse over, I direct to your channel as a most entertaining education and introduction to many composers and music. I wonder (perhaps you have already done so, or are planning it) if you would consider a chat about musical literary things. In other words, what sort of writings you would recommend as an introduction to music we love that would not be too heavy for a general listener (or as Ernest Newman called the "plain musical man"). Even entertaining biographies, etc., that you feel are springboards for greater appreciation and interest. I managed, for example, to get a couple of younger friends interested in Berlioz, and they in particular also enjoyed parts of his Memoirs and wonderful Evenings in the Orchestra; certainly his humor was not lost on them, and widened their understanding of the man as well as the artist. Well, sorry this is so long. But your calling attention to such worthy literary gems and books would I think be interesting stuff from someone as well-read and superbly communicating as you are here. All the best...